On Tuesday, January 28, 2025, Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter was presented with the Tommy Longo Disaster Leadership Award at the Louisiana Municipal Association’s annual Mid-Winter Conference. 

The award was presented by LeadersLink, a nonprofit specializing in harnessing and sharing the perspective and lessons learned by leaders who have faced disasters in hopes of helping other communities better prevent, prepare and recover from major crises.

Nominations for the award came from around the country, with nominees leading recoveries from wildfires, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes or other natural disasters. 

The three-judge panel praised Mayor Hunter, saying, “Not only did Mayor Hunter guide Lake Charles through a nightmare of a year that included four federally declared disasters, but he guided the recovery efforts and implemented innovative infrastructure improvements that will mitigate future weather disasters while expanding the economic horizon for Lake Charles.”

“I pray that no community ever has to experience what Lake Charles and Southwest Louisiana experienced in 2020 and 2021. If sharing our story can help one community better prepare for a storm or other emergency situation, then I feel like we have helped in some small way,” said Mayor Nic Hunter. “I am simply honored to receive this recognition, but the resilient people of this community truly deserve the praise. I also want to take a moment to recognize the legacy and hard work of Mayor Tommy Longo. His hard work in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina was an inspiration to so many, and his legacy lives on today.”

The Tommy Longo Disaster Leadership Award is named after the late mayor of Waveland, Mississippi, John “Tommy” Longo.  He led the city’s successful recovery from Hurricane Katrina and volunteered to serve as one of LeadersLink’s first mentors, sharing his experiences with other mayors whose towns had been damaged by hurricanes.